Ethics

Ethics has become an important issue in the emergency services, perhaps generated by some of the controversy surrounding treatment of AIDS victims and a lack of response to fires "across the street" from a department's jurisdiction a number of years ago, and more contemporarily, by the publicity surrounding the behaviors of corporate executives and public figures.
Many emergency service organizations have in fact developed codes of ethics that represent the embodiment of fundamental values and principles regarding the conduct of members. It is important that agency members from the top down embody these principles in their day-to-day conduct.

Ethical conduct becomes even more important as the workforce changes. If your agency does not have its own code of ethics, one of your objectives for the coming year should be to develop one in concert with your agency's leadership and employees (including volunteers).

While your reading assignment included the Code of Ethics from the City of Los Angles and the IAFC Code of Ethics for Fire Chiefs you might also review the American Society for Public Administrators (ASPA) Code of Ethics. Many public organizations use this code as a guide for developing theirs along with other exemplary codes.